WASHINGTON - As Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appeared before the House
Judiciary Committee for an oversight hearing, the American Civil Liberties Union
today urged the Bush administration to stop stonewalling efforts by lawmakers to
fully investigate the warrantless surveillance of Americans by the National
Security Agency, as authorized by President Bush.

"The attorney general took an oath to uphold the Constitution and serve the
American public - not to push the White House’s agenda," said Caroline
Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "In America, no
one is above the law, not even the president. The attorney general has an
obligation to investigate this gross violation of the law, and at the bare
minimum, should be providing answers to Congress. Effective oversight cannot
occur without the full facts."

While the purpose of the committee’s oversight hearing was not specifically
review of the NSA warrantless eavesdropping program, the ACLU urged the panel to
question the attorney general on the illegal program and called upon the
Gonzales to provide meaningful answers. The White House and its surrogates have
so far been unwilling to provide any substantive information despite repeated
inquiries from members of Congress on the program.

The ACLU especially urged lawmakers to question the attorney general to
determine: What laws the White House is referring to when the president has said
the program is "legally right"; Does the attorney general believe that the
president, and not the Supreme Court, has the job of interpreting the law; How
many Americans have had their conversations or e-mails monitored by the
warrantless program; How much money has been wasted on inquiries into the
private lives of innocent Americans; and if there are any limits to the broad
powers that the president has claimed.

Numerous legal experts and constitutional scholars have already agreed that
the illegal NSA spying program violates the letter and spirit of the law, and
the non-partisan Congressional Research Service concluded the president has
overstepped his authority and that he failed to properly brief Congress, as
required by law.

The ACLU also urged Gonzales to reconsider his position and appoint a special
prosecutor, independent from political pressure, to investigate the warrantless
spying program. Both the Justice Department and the White House have rejected
that call.

"Congress must assert its proper role in our government and through its
oversight powers, seek the truth," said Lisa Graves, ACLU Senior Counsel for
Legislative Strategy. "The system of checks and balances must be restored. The
administration’s illegal actions fail the American people and our
Constitution."